Omaha uses long ball to beat Redbirds

The Omaha Royals hit four home runs, including two of them from Kila Ka’aihue to help in a 7-2 win in Memphis, snapping a three-game losing streak.

On his 31st birthday, Rick Ankiel, hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Redbirds starter Chuckie Fick (2-1). Ka’aihue hit a pair of homers, a three-run shot in the third inning, and a solo homer in the fifth as part of back-to-back shots with Alex Gordon.

Ka’aihue went 3-for-4 with RBIs and now has a team-leading 20 homers on the season. For Gordon, the homer was his 14th of the season. Bryan Bullington (7-2) pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs and struck out six.